The father of a British man who was discovered deceased alongside his spouse at their vacation residence in France is grappling with numerous uncertainties as law enforcement authorities investigate a fresh hypothesis.
The bodies of Andrew, 62, and Dawn Searle, 56, were discovered in Les Pesquiès, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, on Thursday.
88-year-old Fred Searle, the father of Andrew, traveled to Toulouse yesterday, where the couple’s lifeless bodies were found, in order to gather the entire family for support.
The ex-British Army officer from Littlehampton, West Sussex, expressed his frustration at having countless inquiries but very little information available, as reported by The Times.
Andrew, originally from West Sussex, and Dawn, from Scotland, were first believed to have been killed during a burglary gone wrong at their remote home in south west France.
But then information from the investigation into the couple’s deaths revealed that they may have been targeted by hitmen with Andrew being a former organised crime investigator.
Reports also emerged claiming that Andrew may have been tortured before his death.
Dawn had suffered a head wound and was found near the front door surrounded by scattered jewellery.
No weapons were found at the scene and no bullet or knife wounds were found in an initial examination of the bodies, a source close to the investigation told La Depeche du Midi.
Now prosecutors are thought to be considering the possibility of a murder-suicide.
Regional prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller – in charge of the investigation – said: “Both died a violent death – all leads are being examined.”
And upon being asked if the case could be a murder-suicide, he told AFP news agency: “It’s being considered.”
This comes as a neighbour reported seeing Andrew – a former financial investigator who worked against organised crime – appear distressed while on a dog walk the day before he died.
They said: “I saw them the day before they were found, they were walking the dogs and Andrew was on the phone.
“He was very agitated, and he was arguing in English, he just waved at me and then carried on.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s relevant but I can’t see burglary as a motive.”
Meanwhile family friend, Odile Marian, speaking with husband Christophe, recalled Andrew being frustrated about someone opening his garage door.
She added: “He had seen the door of his garage was open, although he was sure he had closed it.
“So he was looking for who opened his garage. And he didn’t find who did it.
“We don’t know if it’s connected/ Maybe it was him who left it open, but he was sure he had closed it?”
Andrew and Dawn have consistently been labelled by local friends as being a “popular” and “happy couple”.
Odile added: “They never talked about threats. They were not hiding. They were not feeling threatened.
“I don’t know anyone who didn’t like the couple – it would be impossible not to appreciate them.”
CCTV from a newsagents in Villefranche-de-Rouergue shows Andrew wearing a hoodie and green hat as he purchased a lottery ticket and a KitKat on Wednesday – a mere few hours before being found dead.
The shopkeeper who served Andrew, Isabelle Palazy, 58, shared details about her interaction with the Brit.
She said: “I just couldn’t believe it when I heard the news. He and Dawn were regular customers. He would come in every day and buy Fortuna Blue cigarettes.
“That day he came in just before I was closing and he seemed perfectly happy, he was relaxed and he chatted and bought some chocolate and two lottery tickets.
“Thinking that they were to die less than 24 hours later makes me go cold, I just can’t believe it. They were a lovely couple, always happy and chatting and they spoke reasonably good French.
“He was working on his house, and he would come and boy chocolate bars here, KitKat and Kinder were his favourite.”
Investigators have said they are considering “all leads”.
The autopsies are expected to take place on Monday as the couple’s home continues to be searched for clues.
ANDREW’S CRIME WORK
Andrew’s former work, cracking down on money laundering crimelords and sanctions busters linked to rogue states like Russia, has drawn attention into fears he could have been targeted.
He also probed terrorist money trails before moving to France from Scotland a decade ago following his retirement.
The financial crime expert worked as a consultant for banking giant Barclays for nine months before his retirement.
But prior to that he worked for more than 21 years for the Standard Life insurance company as UK & Europe Financial Crime Manager.
He worked with cops and Serious Fraud Office against organised crime groups involved in financial crimes like money laundering.
His LinkedIn professional profile said he was: “Responsible for all Anti-Financial Crime matters in the UK & Europe function – providing an investigation service for the Group.”
SON’S AGONY
Dawn’s son, Hollyoaks star Callum Kerr, revealed the family was going through a “difficult period” in a statement posted last night on his Instagram.
Callum and his sister Amanda Kerr were “grieving the loss of their mother” while Andrew’s kids Tom and Ella Searle were “mourning the loss of their father”.
All four children were due to fly in over the weekend to visit their parents home, according to family friend Odile Marian.
Callum, known for playing PC George Kiss in the series between 2020 and 2021, walked his mother down the aisle when she married Andrew in September 2023.
He also starred in Netflix’s Virgin River – playing young Everett, Mel’s father, in the most recent series.
Callum is also a country singer based in Nashville with his fiance.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the Local Authorities.”
